A Collar And Cage Bars
by WitchWarren
Summary: The short of it is Phil trusted Clint... (Can be seen as pre-slash because I ship BowTie however this is all unrequited with a side of being thrown away so no happy ending. Be warned; triggers)
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

_Death threats have always relaxed Phil Coulson._


	2. Chapter 1

_The Death of Something..._

The short of it is Phil trusted Clint.

Yes, yes; he _knows_. It's the height of stupidity – not to mention a fucking _cliché_ (_every_ fucking cliché) – the older man falling for the young boy, the geek for the jock, the boss for the subordinate. It irks him because he's _been_ this cliché, and you should only make those mistakes once.

The thing about all these stories is they never have a happy ending in real-life.

It's Maria's quick thinking and strategy that let's Nick have so much of a lead as to even _catch_ Phil when he doesn't want to be caught (and going rogue to cover for an AWOL agent who fell for a pretty face is _definitely_ when he doesn't want to be caught).

He knows the protocol for this; it was his one stipulation in his personal contract, not to mention a holdover of a promise made through the cage bars where They kept the COLA children. Phillip isn't stupid; a parasitic ability comes with the genetics, brain chemistry and manipulation skills on par with sociopaths and mass-murdering psychos. He knows what he is, and how he is – knows how to change himself so completely to achieve a lot of love and affection from complete strangers, knows how to manipulate a situation _with or without_ parasitic ability, and knows he's just one step away from dangerous. He may also be able to shapeshift but if for _one second_ he turns out like his father that's the second he wants a bullet through the back he's turning on his people. And there's only one man he trusted to do that.

Phil can't let him though; can't let his oldest friend put a bullet in his back because who _knows_ what SHIELD might do to Barton then.

And isn't that just pathetic?

The man is as straight as one of his arrows and has just run off with the epitome of red-haired, Russian seduction and Phil can't help but l—_NO!_

The gyrfalcon in him is cut off mid-cry as he _rails_ against the instinct. _HATE. DISDAIN. APATHY. _Anything to stop the reacting instinct inside that is the one downside to his only good ability, he deadens his emotions and actually drops his guard enough to _**snarl**__._

Which is how Nick gets him.


	3. Chapter 2

The surprise is not that he's waking up from a tranquiliser dart but that he's waking up _at all_. Trust Nick to be the softie. And see right through his bullshit. And protect him from himself.

Couldn't protect him from the WSC though.

* * *

WitW: A short tide over chapter because ffnet formatting has no imagination or suspense.


	4. Chapter 3

They'd gotten Barton back.

It was the only highlight of Phil's weeks of interrogation at the hands of the strangers his friends had had to hand him over to. He understood. SHIELD's main directive was in the name after all and they were protecting much bigger things than him. The last parasite. But he could protect Barton.

He could take the blame for this too.

At the end of it all Nick sat across from him in an interrogation room, table dividing them, looking like someone had drained his heart and soul. Phil sat directly opposite, hands cuffed to the table and even though he couldn't see the feeds he knew they were showing him as he was throughout this entire mess. He was trained for torture after all, despite the lack of clean clothes and gauntness of his frame now he still sits impassive and impeccable. Wearing his competence and strength of will like a cloak.

One eye regards him with pain, although nothing shows on his face. Slowly a box is pushed towards him – larger than a tagging bracelet. "This is a kill-switch collar." The WSC are probably happy to get a reaction by now, even if it's just Phil looking up, startled.

Phil looks into Nick Fury's eyes and doesn't just see the Director of SHIELD. He sees Marcus Johnson, the telekinetic orphan street-rat that wanted so much not to be alone in the world that – like him – he disregarded strange 'multi-abilities' (Phil had known from the start. And that manipulative 'display of trust' still burned). Sees the guilt over failing to listen to Cheese's 'conspiracy theories'. Sees That Month and those cage bars. Sees over thirty years of friendship followed by eons of secondary pain and helplessness on Phil's behalf.

_Huh. Looks like Nick was still protecting him after all._

Phil Coulson looks into Nick Fury's eyes and sees _desperation_ and _pleading_ and realises; _"This was the only way."_

And so the prisoner smiles as he takes the box and collar, teardrop shaped so it sits neatly and smoothly under his shirt and tie, leather with a metal clasp that sits between his collar bones when he fastens it. The tension comes down and the door unlocks but he makes no moves towards freedom.

Nick Fury looks into Phil Coulson's eyes and sees _friendship_ and _family_. He sees a _never-ending _promise of support, faith and protection. Sees _"It's okay. I understand; it's okay."_

_Death threats have always relaxed Phil Coulson._

_It is not okay._


End file.
